No Turning Back
by Chris Whelan
Summary: Violet Parr tries to live a normal life as a normal teenager without superpowers, but when a new transfer student from Norway arrives at her school that all changes.
1. The New Girl

My name is Violet Parr. Does that name sound familiar? It shouldn't. How about Mr. Incredible?

Elastigirl?

The Dash?

I thought those might ring a bell. That's my family. Superheroes...all of them. Two years ago it would sound crazy to most people, but thankfully times have changed. Supers no longer have to hide their powers or go into government sanctioned hiding. There's no more sneaking around and trying to save people behind the backs of citizens who just want to go about their normal lives. Superheroes are something to celebrate and a city like this one, Metro City, so full of superheroes, stands proudly on the top of the world.

So who am I? Violet. Or Vi if you like. That's not my superhero name. That's my birth name. I'm not a hero. I'm just a normal teen in her final year of high school. I have a normal life filled with normal problems, a normal (but spectacular) boyfriend and a normal circle of friends. Do I have superpowers? Of course...It runs in the family. I can create Force Fields around objects, people and pretty much anything to a certain size. I can also turn any part of my anatomy invisible. That means anything I'm wearing won't follow suit, but that's not a problem. I don't use these powers. I go to school; I live life like anyone else would: without a care in the world. If superheroes are ever needed, my family is right there to fill the insignificantly empty shoes that I leave.

That all changed when I met Elsa.

First day of the first semester of my final year of High School. Just a normal school day for this normal teenage girl and her normal boyfriend, Tony. We both had Biology as the first class that day, so we walked to the class and sat down amongst the group of familiar faces we had come to call friends. Our teacher, the Norwegian Mr. Bjorgenhoff, introduced himself to the class in his usual dry manner before introducing us to the new transfer student. A twinge of pride was detectable in his voice as he explained she had just come here all the way from his native Norway.

Elsa was her name.

I gave into the temptation to look back at her, sitting in the back corner of the classroom. She had a small frame that lead up to a round and blushing face. Her bright blue eyes were focused intently on the ground, successfully avoiding contact with the gazes of the classmates that surrounded her. Her bright white hair was pulled back into a tight bun that made her features look more mature and almost regal. She wore a tight fitting blue jacket that was buttoned up to her neck that seemed to make her appearance of royalty even more apparent.

I turned back to the front of the class to face the teacher only to notice that almost everyone was still staring at her. Slightly annoyed, I nudged Tony who sat dazed beside me, focused behind him on the new arrival. He turned to face me and smiled a toothy grin before focusing his attention on the front as well. Apparently the students weren't the only ones enraptured by the new girl as I noticed Mr. Bjorgenhoff smiling sweetly at her from the front of the classroom.

_Great, we'll never get this class started._ I thought to myself before an idea surfaced in my mind.

When I place a Force Field around something, the air gets displaced slightly causing a small gust of wind. I drew Tony's attention to the uncomfortable staring that the class was giving to Elsa. As his head turned, I focused behind a single piece of chalk sitting at the edge of the teacher's desk. A small flash of purple was all that was visible before the chalk fell to the floor, breaking the trance that seemed to hold the class captive.

Mr. Bjorgenhoff cleared his throat and began to lecture the teaching outline for the rest of the semester. Apparently Anatomy would be a big part of study this year. Ron, a skinny blonde kid near the front of the class immediately raised his hand when we came to this topic. Before the teacher could address his concern he blurted out:

"Sir, are we going to study the anatomy of Supers? I mean, you would think they'd have a different biology than us what with all the flying and super-strength and all the other cool-" Was all he managed to get out before Mr. B cut him off and continued to lecture. I certainly hoped we weren't going to study the anatomy of supers...I didn't want another reminder of how different I was from everyone else in the room.

I sat in the Library on my spare period, hoping to get a head start on the readings for History. I sat in my usual corner, surrounded by nothing but book shelves and the musty smell that filled the large room. There was a single chair there, ensuring that nobody else would bother my studying. It was a quiet spot, easy to concentrate and-

"Oh, I'm so sorry" said a gentle but startled voice from behind me.

I looked around to see Elsa turn on her heel and start walking away from my study corner. Her head down, she walked briskly until she bumped into a tall boy walking in the opposite direction. Elsa repeated her apology, this time with a slight stutter as she tried to walk past him, her face red as a cherry. To her apparent surprise, the boy grabbed her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks.

"No, I'm sorry" He told her, his hand still gripping her shoulder. "I didn't mean to startle you. Are you free this weekend? A whole bunch of us are having a party at my place..." Although Elsa was facing away from me, I could tell that she was taken aback by the abrupt entrance into conversation. From where I sat it looked like Nicholas, the quarterback, was the boy talking to her. I could see his broad shoulders and curly shoulder length brown hair. He ended the description of his weekend plans with a request for Elsa to join the festivities.

"Uh...sure, I'll be there" she responded before quickly walking away.

"Great!" Nicholas shouted after her as he turned around to walk my way.

He must have seen me eavesdropping on the two of them because he addressed me immediately about this party. It was less of a question and more of an assumption that I was attending. As was typical of Nicholas, I couldn't get a word in edgewise until he left with a simple: "Bring Tony, okay?"

Before I could even answer, he was gone. No doubt most of the popular seniors had been invited already or were on his list for the party. It was strange that Elsa was being invited to such an exclusive event on her first day. These parties did happen quite often so I guess Nicholas just wanted to help welcome Elsa into the school community. He was always talking up as many girls as he possibly could, so I could understand why he went straight for the new arrival. I just couldn't get why everyone else was so enraptured by her. She was pretty, but there were lots of pretty girls in the school. She was shy, which I guess could be an attraction for some people, but this level of attraction was unheard of.

After this encounter, I found it hard to study so I left to meet up with Tony.


	2. The Party

The party was in full swing when Elsa arrived.

Everyone was having a grand old time. I'll admit, it was nice seeing everyone back together again after the summer. I had a smile on my face that had little to do with the stories that Tony was repeating for the thousandth time to a thoroughly engaged audience. He had a way with people that made it so easy for them to like him. He told the best stories, even if he did tell them time and time again. It's really no wonder that he's always been one of the popular kids. I just sat by him, drinking in the atmosphere that surrounded us and joining in with the laughter by automation.

I was seated near the balcony, a floor above most of the festivities, where I could still see everything going on without being completely involved. I could see a game of Beer Pong, various card games in action, a few circles of idle conversation and finally Nicholas off in the kitchen, entertaining guests in his own way and serving drinks. As normal as I tried to be, that was something that I simply could not join in on. Drunken teenagers surrounded me, but I was more than comfortable drinking water out of my plastic red cup. I didn't want to risk turning invisible in front of all these people just for the sake of a slight buzz. Besides, I'd much rather remember the whole night (unlike Nicholas who had a consistent habit of forgetting anything that happened after Midnight).

The door opened and I could see Elsa walk in shyly as one of the tall boys announced her entrance to the crowd. The entrance hall seemed to fill instantly with people who wished to talk to the new girl. I sat still with Tony on the couch, a fair amount of people still invested in the story he was telling. This one was about the time that he broke his arm while trying to give me a ride on his bike. I actually experienced this story first-hand so I permitted myself a look to the front hall at the crowd of people surrounding the little blonde haired girl from Norway. She was nodding and answering in short sentences as she tried to take her shoes off and actually enter the party. Nicholas, slightly intoxicated, made his way through the thicket of people towards Elsa, leaving a wake of free space behind him. He offered a hand to her and guided her to the kitchen where he had his assortment of drinks. I could see the crowd follow her, eager to continue their idea of conversation with the pretty girl. From my vantage point I could see Nicholas unsuccessfully offer her alcohol before she was able to convince him that she just wanted water. A twinge of pride pulled at the corners of my mouth, forming a discreet smile as I took a sip from my own beverage of choice.

"Right Vi?" I heard Tony address me, breaking my concentration on the floor below us. Mouth still full of water, I switched my gaze to him, swallowed and offered my articulate response.

"Huh?" I replied, to slight chuckles from Tony's captive audience.

"It could have been a lot worse right?" He jogged my memory of the biking accident that happened not 6 months ago.

"Yeah, Tony almost landed on his head, but I-" I paused before almost revealing that I had saved Tony using my powers. "I caught him before he hit the concrete. He was really lucky to have me around." I winked at Tony in an effort to shrug off my potentially horrible blunder. He rolled his eyes in response and the others laughed heartily. This was one of the few things that I could thank alcohol for: my friends' short memories and good attitude.

"To be honest, I blacked out so I don't really know if Vi was the hero or she just likes to pretend she is" he slyly smiled at me as he made his retort. I stuck my tongue out at him. If only he know how hard I was trying every day _not_ to be a hero.

My mind wandered back to Elsa as Tony continued his story. Why was everyone so amazed by her? In the past week she had opened up a slight bit more, but that meant that she had gone from ignoring greetings in the halls to offering a small "Hi" in response before continuing on her way. She hardly talked in class; speaking only when the teachers called on her to answer a question (She always had the right answer). We had two classes together: Physics and Biology. Initially I thought she was quiet because she spoke hardly any English, but my theory was debunked the first time I heard her answer a complicated Physics question. Her voice was mature, light and devoid of any foreign accent, at least to my ear. The class was just as enamored with her as ever after being introduced to her voice. It seemed that there was nothing she could do that was imperfect to these people, yet she was still shy and quiet most of the time.

Noise rose from the kitchen and I turned to see the drunken mob excitedly closing in on Elsa who was backing closer and closer to the counter in a feeble attempt to escape the crowd. Her hip nudged the counter and she stumbled slightly, one pale hand grabbing the sink for support as the other reached up to her neckline in a gesture of panic.

Then I saw it. I think I was the only one who did, thankfully. Where Elsa's hand touched the counter, I saw a blue shimmer spread from her hand towards the sink half full of water and unwashed dishes. The shimmer was in the water and from where I was sitting, it looked like Elsa had just frozen the inside of the sink.

_She's a super._ It explained so much. The shyness, the water, maybe even the way people were drawn to her. _She's pretty much a celebrity already_ I thought, remembering the sight of my parents on the covers of magazines and such when I was little. Some people just looked like they belonged on TV and she was one of them.

Coming back to the situation at hand, I saw her eyes widen as she realized what she had done unconsciously. In an effort to distract her audience from the partly frozen sink she ran straight through the crowd, pushing stunned admirers aside on her way to the door. Clearly in a frenzied state, Elsa pulled open the door ran outside barefoot. I didn't even realize what I was doing before I was out the door too, holding Elsa's shoes and chasing her down the sidewalk.

"Elsa, wait!" I yelled to her, causing her to slow down and turn around to look at me.

"Thank You...uh"

"Violet" I finished for her, panting as I handed the shoes over.

"Violet, um...thanks." she continued as she knelt down to put the shoes on.

"I saw what you did back there" I continued once her shoes were neatly tied up. The girl looked up at me with fear in her eyes. I could tell she was thinking of running again.

"No, don't worry!" I reassured her breathlessly. "I'm the same as you."

Her look of fear became a look of confusion as I reached out my hand. She took it, stood up and met my gaze.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked shakily as I motioned for her to look down at our hands. Well, her hand. Mine was invisible, but she could still feel my fingers lightly resting on hers. She jerked her hand away suddenly and the look of fear returned to her eyes. I raised my arm to show her the quick reappearance of my hand.

"Where do you live?" I inquired to the stunned girl who just kept staring at me.

"C'mon Elsa, I'll walk you home. It's not safe for a pretty girl like you to walk alone at night, even in the suburbs." She relaxed slightly, blushing a tiny bit before she nodded. As she turned around, I heard her mutter "Thank You".

She didn't say another word.


	3. Winter

_"And now we head to Metro-City, where reports of strange weather are flooding in from downtown. Our reporter at the scene, Miss May Flowers, is standing by just for us. May? How's the weather?"_

The TV screen switched from a view of the bland newsroom to a blindingly white snowstorm. The aforementioned reporter stood on the left side of the screen, doing her best to hold her own in the frantic winds that threatened to consume her figure. She was dressed comfortably for the end of summer, but it was clear that the weather had another agenda. Snow swirled, winds howled and temperatures had dropped in the innermost part of the city. It was near impossible to hear the reporter over the sounds of the storm, but she was trying her best to relay the information. It was comparatively warm out in the suburbs, not a cloud in the sky and certainly no blowing snow. The strangely localized weather drew immediate attention from my family who had left for the city only moments ago.

I was stuck babysitting the little terror that was my youngest brother, Jack-Jack. It was only one of the slight drawbacks having weekends off from saving the world: Toddlers. I sat on the couch, too focused on the television to study like I had promised my parents as they hurriedly closed the door. Jack-Jack was sitting on the floor, playing with his toy cars and being as loud as he possibly could. He knew that I wasn't going to tell him to quiet down like Mom or Dad would.

_CRACK!_

The sound erupted from the Television set, startling me and sending Jack-Jack into a fit of tears. I picked up the bawling toddler, sitting him on my lap as I watched the TV intently. The reporter was looking around into the opaque snowstorm for the source of the sound, when a car became visible, flying through the air towards the helpless reporter.

"Look Out!" I yelled, instinctively reaching towards the TV even though I was powerless to help the lady in danger. A translucent purple bubble surrounded the TV and the sound became distorted. In my panic, I had unconsciously placed a force field around the Television, causing Jack-Jack to giggle through his panicked tears. I was too enraptured in what was taking place to release the force field as the car flew closer to the reporter. Her thin arm flew in front of her face in a hopeless attempt to shield her from the ton and a half of metal, rubber and gasoline that inexplicably hurtled towards her. A gust of wind blew a blinding snow squall in front of the camera, turning everything white as I heard the sickening crunch of metal colliding with concrete. The force field around the TV disappeared as I lowered my arm in defeat. _I could have saved her..._

The snow that covered the screen cleared and I was almost too shocked to continue watching. Almost. I'm thankful I did, because the clearing revealed the not only was the reporter still alive but that Mr. Incredible (my Dad) had caught the car just in time to save the poor and moderately fragile woman. Pride welled up inside me as I saw my brother, Dash appear on screen and start talking excitedly to the reporter.

_"Wow, May Flowers! You're much taller in person! You must be freezing, you should head inside. You too anonymous camera guy! I'll take it from here. Woah, that's heavy. Alright, so if you'll follow me..."_

Dash was now in possession of the camera and was running into the midst of the snowstorm at a dizzying pace. He stopped in the middle of an intersection as a large, lucid blue wall fell down in front of him, blocking the path of the camera and its new operator.

_"See, here's the big issue"_

The camera shakily panned up to reveal that the blue wall was only the bottom of a gargantuan cone that extended into the blur of white snow and out of sight. Just as unexpectedly as it had fallen, the wall began to return to the mysterious snow cloud that it had appeared from. My jaw dropped as I realized what I was looking at. This was a massive leg, attached to a presumably even more massive creature that was just walking through the city. Jack-Jack was clapping at the sight of his older brother on the screen but he stared in stunned silence as the camera caught footage of the same car that almost flattened the reporter flying into frame and crashing into the blue leg, sending shards of both the car and the foreign substance raining down towards the camera. The movement became difficult to follow as Dash manoeuvred around the falling debris. When it finally steadied we were given a clear view of the street as this incomprehensible monster fell from the sky. Parked cars were crushed, lampposts rendered useless and pavement utterly destroyed form the impact. As Dash ran up to inspect the fallen giant, the beast exploded into thousands of blue shards that pelted the surrounding buildings and rained down upon the near-deserted street. Through the blizzard that restricted visibility it became clear what the fallen creature was made of.

_Ice._

Half wanting to get away from the TV and half wanting to get the toddler off of my legs, I picked Jack-Jack up off my lap and motioned for him to follow me into the kitchen.

I looked behind me to see if my baby brother was tagging along and I was greeted with the sight of a miniature version of the monster that had just been shown on the television.

"Rawr" Jack-Jack repeated as I watched him lumber ominously towards me and into the kitchen. Jack-Jack was something of a shape-shifter. He could change his body to be constructed out of anything that he had seen. Lead, Fire, Carpet...

_Ice._

I pushed the thought from my head as I rummaged through the cupboards to find something to satisfy both mine and the monster clawing at my leg's appetite.

_But what if it is her? It's too coincidental not to be. That's Elsa's power...Ice. But why attack Downtown? What happened?_

Distracted, I let a box of crackers fall to the floor. My concentration broken, I bent down to pick them up, only to be foiled by the little rug rat who had now taken the form of a marshmallow and run away holding the box. I let him have his fun as I chased him carefully throughout the house. When I eventually tired of his game, I put a force field around him in the living room and sat beside him until he agreed to relinquish the crackers. Smiling, food in hand, I stood up and glanced at the TV from behind the couch.

_Elsa_

There she was, standing on the top of a skyscraper, arms stretched to the sky and eyes white as the snow surrounding her. Dash must have brought the camera to an adjacent building to catch her at that angle. She didn't look angry or anything, but she no longer looked like the shy girl I had walked home with the other night. She seemed to exude an uncharacteristic confidence as the winter she controlled assaulted the city. Her attention was solely focused ahead of her, so she didn't notice the lithe figure slither behind her and wrap her flexible appendages around her arms and legs. It was my Mom, Elastigirl. Elsa broke her motionless concentration in order to fight off the surprise attack.

The weather took a turn for the worse as the heavy winds and snow threatened to blow the camera off of the rooftop. As Elsa struggled against the bonds that my Mother was placing her in, a small black tranquilizer dart flew into frame and landed right in the center of Elsa's stomach. Her eyes returned to their blue colour before they closed and she slumped over, unconscious. The wind died down immediately and the snow disappeared from sight. My Mom unwrapped herself from the insentient body and stood up, a grim look on her face.

When Elsa didn't show up for school the next day, I resolved to find out what had happened to her.


	4. The Fortress

The Fortress was an underground prison outside the city limits that seemed to be more fiction than fact. Legend went that it was constructed to house Super Villains from all around the world. Each cell was constructed specifically to contain an individual's unique set of powers for an unlimited length of time. When the Super Hero Secrecy Act came into play, word got around that the prison was used to house Super Heroes who just couldn't let go of the Glory Days. But it was never more than a bedtime story for any kid supers that thought about using their powers in public. Rumours of torture, biological experiments and militarized supers shrouded the facility in a cloud of mystery, assisting the horrific reputation that it already had.

_That's where Elsa is_

I was one of the few people in the city that actually knew the location of The Fortress, as both my parents were brought in to help with the construction of a few different test chambers. By construction, I mean the chambers were tested on them. Psychological torture, physical torture, vulnerability tests and a manner of other techniques were used to expose the weaknesses of the seasoned heroes, striking real fear into the hearts of their children...us. The Fortress was a labyrinth, miles underground so that any escape attempt could be halted before the subject reached the surface. Many noble ex-heroes had died attempting to escape, so the stories went. The papers said they went missing or they were killed in some attempt to re-enact their Glory Days. But Dash and I knew the truth: Fironic, Meta Man, and Black Ice were just a few of the supers that lost their minds in the cells below the city. Their escape attempts were unsuccessful at best, fatal at worst. The prison became an asylum for psychotic supers; those incapable of adjusting to civilian life went mad and lived out their final days in the containment cells. The Fortress was avoided like the plague; any self-respecting hero would never enter willingly...

_Until Today_

After seeing Elsa's capture on the news, I knew I had to find her. There was really no better place to start my investigation than the home for out-of-control supers. After telling my Mom that I'd be studying at Tony's, I headed out of town on my bike. I followed the main road until I came across a dirt path adjacent to an open field. There was an old run-down textiles mill that stood ominously at the end of the dirt path, against the backdrop of a tall dark forest. I biked down the dirt path, stones flying from the tires as I hurried to my destination. My heart raced from more than the pedalling as the questions that plagued me all day resurfaced, relentlessly assaulting me in my over-worked state.

_What if Elsa really is a villain?_

I had only known her for a week and she had hardly spoken to me. She seemed nice enough, but there was always a possibility that she wasn't like that under the surface. Something about the sudden winter downtown rubbed me the wrong way though. It wasn't a particularly malicious event and nobody was actually hurt. A lot of damage was done, but that was hardly different than the average Sunday in Metro-City. And then there was the sight of Elsa on that rooftop. The news stations hadn't relented in their use of those precious few seconds of footage. It was clear why: Heroes and Villains in clearly defined roles where good triumphs over evil. The media loved nothing better than making clear division lines between black and white. But there were a few things I started to notice as the footage played over and over on the TV set. First of all, the footage cut before the reaction on Elastigirl's face became clearly visible (_Typical, Mom didn't look like she was enjoying herself_). Secondly, Elsa didn't look like she was in control of her powers at the moment. Her expression was blank and her irises weren't even visible. Maybe that just happened when she used her powers, but I let myself think more on the bright side.

I wish it was that simple.

Invisible, I entered the abandoned textiles mill and looked around for any sign of a secret entrance. A concealed button, a brick out of place or a slightly less dusty book on a shelf...I found nothing. Cobwebs covered every surface and dust had settled over everything. Spools of discoloured wool lay haphazardly on the crumbling shelves that lined the walls. Holes in the roof let shafts of afternoon sunlight through to shine on the fallen leaves that coated the ground. Rusted machinery sat deserted all around the room: conveyor belts, looms and unnameable contraptions that obviously hadn't seen use in decades.

Carefully making my way over the carpet of leaves, I walked towards the conveyor belt, trying to find a clue or something as to how I could possibly enter the forbidden realm that lay beneath. Leaning on a wall near the conveyor belt, I returned to my visible state and slumped down to the floor. The outfit I wore was inconceivably comfortable, the tight fitting fabric expelling an implied confidence that I could hardly fake. The suit was made especially for me, given the ability to turn invisible whenever I did. Head back against the wall, I started to doubt my decision to come out here. What if Elsa really wasn't on our side? What would happen if I met her and she tried to kill me? Or worse, what happened if I was caught? I'm sure that the prison had measures in place to prevent invisible intruders from simply walking in.

_If I even _could_ walk in..._

I sat for another minute as the feeling of defeat consumed my previously hopeful attitude. Finally I stood up, rendering myself invisible once again. I walked back towards the small entrance of the mill, birds chirping happily to each other in the rafters. I chanced a look up at the animals and in my distracted state I stumbled on an extension cord buried beneath the leaves. I fell forward, grabbing the first thing that came within arm's reach. I landed on a mechanical lever, pulling it down with me as I continued my trajectory. Behind me, the conveyor belt whirred to life, the whine of outdated machinery startling me as I landed on the ground. I tried to put the lever back in place, but it snapped in half as soon as I wrapped my hands around it. Orange rust spouted from the breaking point on the lever, covering my legs in the disgusting powder. I dropped the lever and turned to continue leaving but something stopped me. Another sound. The sound of mechanical equipment moving, slightly different than the sound of the conveyor belt.

Then the ground began to shake. Still invisible, I ran to the farthest wall as a section of the leaf-coated floor lifted skywards, revealing an empty room lying beneath. Another platform rose with the partition above to reveal a single armed guard looking for suspicious activity. He was clad in black and grey from head to foot and a menacing gas mask covered his face. He was clearly armoured and his arms looked to be the size of tree trunks. The automatic weapon in his hands confirmed every one of my hopes and fears for what lay beneath the foundation of this abandoned mill.

He slowly walked towards the moving conveyor belt, raising his gun closer to his face as the distance closed between them. As quietly as I could, conscious of the crunching leaves beneath me, I walked to the leaf-free platform and stood in the center as the distracted guard continued his search. I glanced down to see that my calves were still coated in rust. Panicked, I tried to brush it off silently before the guard turned around. He looked left and right as I tried furiously to scrub my legs and finally paused while looking at the conveyor belt. Slowly, he raised a gloved hand to the mouth of his gas mask and spoke into it.

"You were right. Nobody here...Must have been a bird...Yeah...Of course I tried infrared. Nothing." I sighed, having expelled the visible powder from my legs and avoided detection. The guard touched a button at the side of his helmet and then walked back towards the elevator. I could see his eyes now; the visor that he had been wearing was probably the infrared that he mentioned earlier. I backed into one of the elevator corners as he came closer and stood in the middle of the platform. He waved a hand at one of the birds sitting in the rafters and the platform began its descent.


	5. The Ice Queen

They call me the Ice Queen.

In another life, long ago, I was called Elsa. My name is one of the many things from my past that I cling to. I remember my old home in the Norwegian city of Arendelle, the room I shared with my younger sister Anna and my two loving parents. But nothing is clearer than the sound of Anna's scream. I was sent away from home when my sister was no older than twelve but I hear that sound every night when I lay down to sleep.

The night they discovered my problem was warm and clear. The sky was lit with the Aurora Borealis and my sister and I were talking and whispering to each other, long past our bedtime. Anna liked telling ghost stories when the lights went out, even though she knew I hated them. I forgot the story she told that night but I remember the sound that made her stop talking.

It was a creaking sound, like a footstep on a loose floorboard. The sound came from under my bed. Anna was sat bolt upright as she looked across the room at me. She hesitantly looked down to the source of the sound and my heart leapt into my throat when I saw her eyes open wide in fear. The creaking continued, growing louder with each tense second. I looked down to the floor and saw a sheet of white creeping along towards my sister's bed. A flicker of light from the lit sky outside revealed what substance coated the floor.

_Ice_

I looked back up at Anna just in time to see her mouth open and let out an ear-piercing scream. Seemingly reacting to the noise, icy spikes shot up from the floor between my sister and me. I jumped off my bed and ran towards Anna, but the spikes grew higher and higher until they touched the ceiling, creating a wall of ice that prevented me from reaching her. Through the ice wall in front of me, I saw an inhuman and snow white hand creep out from under Anna's bed and reach for her. I screamed her name as the door opened and both of our parents stood in the archway, the looks of shock and fear on their face distorted through the ice that blocked my path. The ice quickly began to melt as soon as they stumbled upon the scene, along with the hand grabbing for Anna. My parents ran to her and tried to calm her screams. I will never forget the look that my father gave me in that moment, knees soaked from the water on the floor and shoulder soaked from Anna's tears. It was the look of complete fear. My mother couldn't look at me and when I looked down at myself I realized why. The water on the floor was frozen solid around my feet, forming a star-shaped platform that was no wider than my shoulders. My hands were as pale as could be and sharp icicles had sprouted from my fingernails. I tried to move, but all I could do was stare. Before I could comprehend my actions, I was running towards my parents, kinetic energy flowing through my feet and into the floor leaving a trail of ice behind me. I remember it as though it happened in front of me and I was merely a witness. I leapt at my father, his eyes widening at the sight of my elongated nails pointed towards his throat.

I felt a flash of pain from my right side and I was suddenly lying on the floor, looking back at my parents. My head throbbed and I shut my eyes to focus on dulling the pain. A grievous howl broke through my concentration, prompting me to look back to my family huddled over the bed.

My Mother was dead. An immense icicle had sprouted from the ground as she tried to save her husband from my unprovoked attack. She hung there limply, speared through the chest as my father knelt at her body. Blood coated the icicle above her and dripped from her lips as she spluttered nonsensical noise. My father held her face in his hands in an attempt to stop the life from leaving her eyes like the teardrops from his.

I make sure to thank him every day for my sending me away from Arendelle. The war hero Admiral Westerguard was appointed as my escort to a remote island in the Mediterranean Ocean. I arrived on the island a week later, having been kept in solitary confinement for the safety of the ship's crew. As soon as my feet touched the warm sand, I heard the firing of a pistol from behind me. Without my knowledge, a shield of ice formed behind me and blocked the ambush. I turned around to face the smiling Admiral standing no more than a few feet behind me as he began to explain his orders to me in full. He had been told to execute me for treason, but my...disparity...made that impossible. Instead, he offered to help control the storm inside me.

After three years passed, I had learned to control the bursts of freezing cold wind and snow that spewed from my body like an unwelcome infection. I learned to create sheets of frost that covered nearly the entire island. Stalagmites of ice rose from the ground at my command and snow rained from the sky. The Mediterranean became my home. I was thankful that I had an entire island to myself, save for my personal escort, where nobody was in the way of harm. Hans, as the Admiral told me to address him, was as impressed with my abilities as I was afraid and he would often coax me to try and create more. He always told me I needed to think of larger things, what I could do if I pushed a little bit further. But, every time he tried I heard the horrific screaming of my Father pierce the howling wind and I turned away in shame, trying not to release any more emotions into the air around me.

Whenever the storm died down, Hans would discipline me. No shields of ice rose up and no harm came to him. I relished the feeling of every lash, every crack of the whip. Whatever pain I felt couldn't come close to the unspeakable tragedy that I had felled upon my family. When the whippings finished, I thanked him. The Admiral had saved many lives by bringing me there.

Two months ago we left the island. The seas were rough, nature's representation of my own anxiety. The three weeks I spent in the small chamber felt like an eternity. Hans hadn't explained the purpose of our departure before I was hustled into my compartment and I feared for what lay ahead every waking moment. When Hans lead me outside the ship upon our arrival, my greatest fears were confirmed. He had brought me to an incredibly large city, with skyscrapers reaching incomprehensible heights and thousands of people milling about on the docks alone. I tried to retreat back to my confined area, but Hans steered me onwards. I repeated my mantra to myself as he directed me through the crowd.

_Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let them know._

Hans introduced me to Commander Weselton, one of his military comrades. The Commander was small in stature, with grey hair slicked back across his tiny head and a bushy grey moustache perched atop his upper lip. It was easy to look at this man and see a small rodent, but he carried an aura of power and responsibility on his miniscule shoulders.

Hans explained to me that the Commander's orders were to help integrate me to society. According to my escort, there was much I needed to learn that simply couldn't be taught on the island. I was told I would be attending school in the autumn, staying with Commander Weselton in the meantime. Hans said he would keep an eye on my activities but that he had other matters to attend to.

I met Violet on my first day of school.


	6. Thawing

Three years on a desolate island doesn't exactly enhance one's social skills but there I was, sitting in a classroom with almost thirty other students my age. _Potential victims _a voice in the back of my head nagged as I tried to focus on the classroom and controlling my power.

A month ago, Commander Weselton had explained to me that while I did learn to manage my powers on the island, I needed to learn another type of control. Restraint. According to the Commander, there was no better place to practice this skill than in a city full of thousands of innocent lives. The month before school started was stressful and unbearable at times. The weeks slowly rolled by as I tried to contain the storm inside before my final test. I was never allowed to show any sign of my power outside of the confines of my modestly sized room, which was hard enough when I didn't leave my new home, but a full day of school could prove to be impossible.

When the day arrived, I kept my head down as I clumsily navigated the halls towards my first classroom. Thankfully I was the first student to arrive, so I took a seat at the back of the classroom. The teacher arrived soon afterwards and was clearly startled by my early appearance. He was a large man, impeccably dressed in a black waistcoat over a dark green button-down shirt. He let out a small shriek of surprise at the sight of me and I felt the cold inside me try to push its way into the classroom.

_Control it_ I told myself as the teacher approached me and began asking me questions. He had gathered my name and status as the 'New Student' from the attendance sheet he was given, but he seemed overly interested in where I was from, how long I had been here, my hopes, goals and aspirations, my strengths and weaknesses and an assortment of other probing topics. When I was finally able to respond to his rapid-fire questioning, I could only answer the first question. No sooner had I let the word 'Norway' escape my lips than he began a separate flow of questions about the countryside. I gathered that he was from Norway as well, and that he had been living here for 15 years. The class began to file in and Mr. Bjorgenhoff (As I had learned his name was) retreated to the front of the class to welcome each student as they came in.

I wanted to relax, but the growing crowd of people filling the classroom made that impossible. I regained my stance from earlier, making myself as small as possible and avoiding all eye contact. An eternity passed before Mr. B began to speak to the class as a whole. I was thankful that I had somewhere to direct my attention for a moment, until the teacher uttered the phrase I feared most in that moment.

"We have a new student joining us today. A fellow Norwegian, Elsa is the newest addition to our class. I hope you all will make her feel at home here."

I could feel the gaze of the entire class burning a hole through my quiet defences. In that moment, I wished I could hide behind an ice wall of my own creation but revealing my powers would have been a drastic mistake to make on the first day. For my own safety and the lives of those around me, I controlled the feeling rising up in me until Mr. Bjorgenhoff began speaking again.

Although this was the final year of compulsory education, all the subjects taught were surprisingly easy. Hans had made sure I received a good education on the island, teaching me the ways of the world from what we knew of the smallest particles to complex math equations that were the foundation of modern architecture and beyond the planets of our solar system. But none of that education could have prepared me for social interaction. Near the end of my first day of class, one of the popular kids, who introduced himself as Nicholas, asked me to attend a party he was hosting that weekend. I thought back to my new home with Commander Weselton and how proud he would be of me if I accepted. I answered in the affirmative, my throat aching as the words escaped my nervous lips. It was the first time I had spoken that day. Slightly embarrassed, I quickly turned away and retreated into the hallway. How am I going to be able to do this? There was no doubt going to be a lot of people there and I couldn't risk showing my powers to them. On the other hand, I didn't want to disappoint Hans or Commander Weselton...

The rest of the week flew by, with more anxiety piling on day by day. I tried my best to open up more, acknowledging greetings in the hallways and trying to walk with my head up more. I was called on to answer questions in class, which always startled me but always elicited the correct answer. Although I was beginning to become more confident in my social skills, the process was moving much too slowly and before I knew it, I was standing on the doorstep of Nicholas' house, listening to the sounds of the crowd beyond the door.

There was no way I could prepare for what was about to happen.

I entered the high roofed foyer, a crowd of intoxicated teenagers welcoming me. I knew at once that this was a terrible idea. At school I could at least avoid contact with people if I ever felt uncomfortable or if my powers were becoming difficult to manage. Here I was completely exposed to the throngs of people that had no idea what danger they were putting themselves in. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact until a hand grabbed mine and dragged me through the crowd. I glanced up to see Nicholas pulling me towards the kitchen and suddenly he was asking me what I wanted to drink. I was able to choke out the single word "water" eliciting an obvious confusion, but adherence nonetheless. I could not remember anything that he said while he filled my red cup, because the noise of the crowd grew louder and louder. Parallel to the noise of the room, the chaos that I had tried so hard to control began to rise up like bile in my throat. I backed away from Nicholas and towards the counter, searching for an escape route but finding none.

My inattentive state led my hips into the kitchen counter, causing my right hand to shoot out and grab behind me in order to steady myself. As soon as my hand touched the cold metal of the sink, I felt the familiar feeling of cool energy releasing itself from my fingertips.

_No...Not here!_

There was no doubt about it; I had just revealed my powers to an entire crowd of senior students at the High School I attended. Before I could think of an explanation, my feet carried me out the door and onto the suburban sidewalk.

I stopped and took a deep breath of the chilly end-of-summer air. My feet were bare, but that was no issue. I would rather walk home barefoot than return to the house I had escaped from only seconds before.

I took a step forward but froze in place when I heard someone shout my name from the doorway. I turned to see a tall and thin girl with dark hair pushed back by a pink headband running down the driveway carrying my shoes in one hand.

I recognized her from class, but her name escaped me. I stuttered out thanks as she passed me my shoes, leaving a gap in my dialogue for her to fill in her name.

"Violet" she answered to the unspoken question.

_She knows..._

I bent down to tie my shoes, unfocused and frightened. I had seen it in her eyes that she saw what happened..._So why is she standing so close to me? Does she have a death wish? _...but there was something else on her face: Happiness. Still knelt down, I heard the girl speak with a tone that contrasted the words spilling from her mouth.

"I saw what you did back there"

_Why aren't you running the other way then?_

"No, don't worry!" she attempted to reassure me, "I'm the same as you."

_Impossible...I'm a freak. I'm alone and there's good reason for that._

Then, confusing me even more, she offered me her hand to stand up.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I replied shakily, trying to focus on the storm inside me and making sure it didn't explode from my fingertips. She merely smiled and looked down at the hand still holding mine. Still lost in confusion, I glanced down and gasped at what I saw. Her hand was gone! I could still feel it, but it wasn't there anymore. Stunned, I pulled my hand away and stared at the enigmatic girl. None of this made any sense. How could anyone possibly do something like that!? Hans told me that there was no one else out there like me. Hans was never wrong. But the evidence in front of me was undeniable. Questions swirled around in my mind as Violet lifted her handless arm and the missing appendage reappeared instantly.

Nothing made sense anymore.

"Where do you live?" Violet inquired, but I was too stunned to answer.

After a moment of awkward silence, a prompt from the girl in front of me and an unusually direct compliment, I turned around and let her walk me home.

The last thing I remembered was the pain of a needle being inserted into my neck as I walked through the front door.


	7. End Game

I woke up to blackness, pain and cold. My entire body felt like it was in a vice grip, with restraints pressing in on my wrists, neck, waist and any other part of my body that might have been able to move. My mouth was dry and my head pounded as if a cinderblock were purposefully dropped on it. I could hear electrical equipment whirring around me and indistinct chatter beyond the dark walls that held me captive.

As I struggled fruitlessly against my restraints, the sound of heavy moving equipment evolved from a far off hum to a deafeningly close clamour. Everything around me started to shake and rattle before a blinding crack of light appeared horizontally in front of me. I heard the hissing of pressurised air being released into the void of light that obscured my vision. The sounds of chatter and electrical equipment became louder as my eyes adjusted to the widening gap of light.

I could see that I was in the center of a large room, elevated above the few people that populated the chamber. The room was circular and filled with flashing lights, crossed wires and television screens. I was encased in a solid metal box, with large cords extending from the sides to the ceiling and various computers around the room. There were about 15 people in the room, all dressed in white lab coats and staring at me indiscreetly. I angled my head upward as best I could with the metal restraint around my neck. I could see the top of the box that had been lifted off of me, exposing my face to the new environment.

An impossibly large television screen that filled the wall in front of me flickered to life and a familiar face greeted me.

"Hans" I gasped. "What's going on here?"

The televised image of my mentor just smiled at me and looked at me as if I were still a child. I could feel his condescending thoughts through the screen and across whatever distance he was speaking to me from.

"Hello Elsa, I hope you're comfortable." Hans replied, knowing full well that I was not.

"What is going on here?" I repeated, my frustration threatening to boil over.

"Elsa, you know what's going on here." Hans smirked, "You're being imprisoned as punishment for the damage you've caused the city."

An indescribable sense of confusion washed over me at Hans' accusation until the screen changed to a news report. Through a blizzard of white snow, the roof of a skyscraper became visible. A figure stood on the edge of the rooftop, arms outstretched towards the city below. As unclear as the picture was, I knew who the figure was.

_That's me_

Hans had always said that if I didn't learn the full extent of my powers, I would eventually lose control of them. This must have been what happened...I had no memory of the scene playing out before me. The last thing I remembered was walking home with Violet after the incident at Nicholas' house. Had I lost control that easily?

"Elsa," Hans addressed me when his face returned to the screen, "I know you didn't mean to cause this amount of destruction. You simply lost control. I am not disappointed with you...I am disappointed with myself."

"Hans please..." I pleaded. Something about Hans' tone of voice made me extremely uncomfortable. His voice had morphed from its usual sternness to the softness of an upset parent.

"I have failed. I failed myself in my quest to help you control your own power. I have failed my mission to protect you and the innocent civilians that are inevitably put in harm's way around you. But more importantly, I have failed you Elsa."

I could feel tears well up in my eyes listening to my mentor tell me all this. I would rather take a lecture or a whipping than hear the sound of his disappointment. This speech was leading to an unpleasant place.

It had gone unnoticed before, but by now I had expected frost to spread from my fingertips and throughout the box that contained me. My powers were void here...The machine that encompassed me prevented the storm inside me from escaping. I had tried for years to accomplish the machine's effect, but in the present situation, something felt incredibly wrong about the sensation.

"Elsa, I realize now that teaching you was a mistake." I could barely stand to look at Hans as he continued. "This machine that surrounds you was created with one purpose"

_No...Please no_

"It is going to take your powers away."

"NO!" I screamed at the television screen. "I can learn restraint! I can fix this, I promise! Please Hans!" I continued pleading until my throat was hoarse but it accomplished nothing. The image of Hans just shook his head and continued speaking. I screamed over him, blocking out every word that he uttered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the scientists pull a lever and I heard the whirring of electricity. I screamed even louder when I felt needles press into my arms and legs. As much as the stinging hurt, the emotional distraught was unbearable.

"Hans please!" I begged when his televised eyes met mine.

"I'm sorry Elsa, but this needs to be done. For everyone's betterment" Hans replied in an emotionless tone.

"Where will I go after this? You're the only family I have Hans. Please don't abandon me!" Before I came to understand my own thoughts, they had stumbled past my lips and out into the open air. Stunned at what I had just said, I dissolved into silence. Hans just looked at me and I could swear I saw the sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Elsa, but after this...there won't be anything left of you."

My mouth opened in horror. This was it...the only fitting punishment for me: Death. I hung my head and sobbed, tears falling down my cheeks and dripping into the machine that surrounded me. Suddenly the pain of the needles and the uncomfortable restraints became more bearable. A loud beep resounded through the room and I could hear hushed whispering amongst the people below me.

_The last sound I'll ever hear_

Then the sound of the door opening interrupted my thoughts. I glanced up to see two masked guards miming carrying a body between themselves. They entered the room without invitation and addressed the screen.

"Admiral, we have had an intruder. She wishes to speak with the Ice Queen." One of the guards was grasping a metal rod in his hands and he thrust the object in between the two of them. The sound of electrical shock cut the tense air and a figure flickered into visibility between the guards.

_Violet!_

I gasped for air as she fell to her knees in front of the massive screen. She was wearing a skin tight red suit with small holes in it revealing bloodied and bruised skin. I wanted to shout her name, but I couldn't bring my throat to carry the sound.

"I have no use for her, kill her." Hans said emotionlessly before the screen went black. Too stunned to do anything, I watched in astonishment as one of the guards radioed for assistance and four similarly dressed men entered the room wielding automatic weapons. They formed a circle around the helpless girl and awaited further instruction with their fingers on the respective gun triggers.

I closed my eyes when the first shot was fired.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the slow updates guys. I'll try to get them closer together but with school starting soon I can't make any promises. Thanks for reading and sticking with the story! Things are about to get more interesting I swear.**

**-Chris**


	8. Rat in a Trap

So apparently they did have thermal imaging cameras at the surface level.

As soon as the large doors closed above me, confirming my descent into the unknown abyss, the guard spun around and pointed his rifle right where I stood.

"Did you seriously think that would work?" He growled as he looked down the barrel of his gun, boring a hole through me with his gaze. If I made any sudden movements, his bullets would do the same thing.

Slowly I returned to my visible state, starting with my feet and cautiously revealing the rest. I was shaking from fear and feeling like a cornered animal. There was no way out of the elevator other than a bullet passing through my skull and the watchman in front of me seemed eager to make that happen.

"What are you doing here?!" He shouted at me, causing a slight involuntary flinch.

"I was...I...uhh..." I stuttered out a response, trying to form a logical explanation for my unannounced appearance at the top secret government facility.

"Spit it out freak!" The guard yelled, finger tightening on the trigger.

"I'm looking for someone!" I blurted out, shying away from the ominous weapon. The guard held his gaze steady for a second before lowering the gun and letting out an overwrought bellow of laughter.

Confused, I backed towards the wall as the elevator continued to drop. A shaft of light appeared from behind the guard as the platform slowed and revealed a brightly lit corridor lined with armed guards. When the platform rested, two of the masked guards walked towards me, grabbing my arms and cuffing them behind my back. There was no point in protesting as the guard who confronted me in the elevator had raised his gun once again.

"Alright Ms. Disappear, who are you here to see?" the guard asked, the smile on his masked face audible.

"Elsa" I stammered. The guards on either side of me hesitated slightly before forcefully grabbing me by the elbows. Although it was clear they were trying to hide it, the mere mention of Elsa's name had frightened them.

"The Ice Queen" seethed the guard on my right, his grip tightening on my thin arm.

"So be it." said the guard in front of me, all hints of sarcasm gone from his tone. "Admiral Westerguard may find some use in you"

The guards on either side of me began to drag me down the hallway none too gently. Once we reached the end, a set of doors opened to reveal another elevator. This one was much worse for the wear: dirty, noisy and altogether unpleasant. Rust crept upwards from the floor, covering the bottom third of the metal walls and appearing in spots all the way to the roof. The floor was clearly once a shiny metal, but was now discoloured after the years of use and abuse. The dull grey was punctuated with spots of rust and..._blood?_

I must have let out a small gasp because the guards tightened their grip on my arms and one of them spoke to me in a staged whisper.

"Watch your step, or that's all that'll be left of you" I could hear the sadistic pleasure he got from the threat and I knew I was in over my head. Whatever made me think that I could possibly be successful in this rescue attempt? I had no idea where to go, I had no way of winning a fight and now I was being led like a lamb to the slaughter. The only friendly face I knew in this prison was the person who had covered the city in snow and ice not 24 hours earlier and I was starting to doubt that even she would be friendly.

The creaking of the elevator door opening interrupted my thoughts, revealing another brightly lit corridor. There were no guards in this hallway, but locked doors and keypads lined the walls. The hall was significantly longer than the previous one, extending for what looked like miles. I was jerked forward into the hallway and the excursion began. What had started out as a frightened thought had begun developing into a plan and by the time we passed the fifth door, I knew what I needed to do.

I spied a security camera hanging from the intersection of ceiling and wall and generated a small force field around it. Not seconds later, the radio on the hip of the guard leading the way crackled to life. The static rendered the message incomprehensible to all but the most experienced of listeners. The guard picked up his radio and replied rudely.

"What about the security camera?"

More static came through and all three of the guards looked to the security camera. The purple sphere was visible for a brief moment before disappearing along with me.

Invisible, I twisted my arms to escape the grip of the momentarily distracted guards. I wasn't an experienced fighter, but I had learned standard self-defence techniques from both of my parents. For now, I had the element of surprise on my side, coupled with the fact that I was invisible. Once I jerked my right arm out of the grasp of one guard, the sentry on my left was more than surprised when my forehead connected with his jaw. He instantly let go of me and stumbled backwards towards the wall as I landed a kick on the hip of the guard I had wriggled free from.

Without wasting a second, I took off towards the elevator that brought me down to this hallway. I could hear the guards coming to their senses behind me, but I knew they wouldn't be able to see me escaping. That was when I heard the gunshot behind me. An electric shock ripped through me and I lost all control of my powers. I fell to the floor, my muscles tensing from the incredible pain and causing me to curl into a fetal position. My teeth chattered and I could feel cool liquid dribbling out of my mouth. A second later I was completely numb, all my nerves raw from the intense spasm.

"She won't be trying that again anytime soon." I heard a guard say from above me. Two strong hands grabbed my arms and dragged me down the corridor. I could feel the pressure on my arms, but nothing else. My eyes fluttered open and closed, my breath coming in ragged gasps. It felt like an eternity before my motion was halted and I was dropped like a rag doll, crumpled on the floor. I tried to keep my eyes open, as I looked down at my arms. The suit had ripped open in places along my forearm, leaving gaps of exposed skin. I could feel a cool sensation on my back and realised I must be bleeding from a deep cut. I felt the pressure of a hand below my right shoulder blade grasping for something. I heard a sickening _RIP_ and suddenly all the pain flooded back into my system. I screamed at the top of my lungs and curled inwards. The action itself was a pretty stupid idea, because the long cut across my back burned even more. I arched in the opposite direction, tears flowing from my cheeks as the pain reached unbearable levels. I felt the force of a thousand pins and needles being driven into every square millimetre of my skin. Through the haze of tears and screaming, I heard one of the guards say: "It's your turn now"

The two guards I had attacked must have been pretty pissed off, because they held nothing back as they beat me with their batons until my arms were numb. I must have begun to flicker in and out of visibility, because I could hear a few of their swings missing and hitting the metal floor. When they were finally finished, they lifted my up by my arms again. My vision blurred as a door on the wall opened and I was dragged into the dark chamber. I forced myself to stay invisible in a misguided attempt to keep my pain to myself. I heard voices and another electric shock speared cut through me. I fell to my knees, visible once more and eyes blurred from tears. I looked up in front of me just in time to see a decorated military officer with ginger hair and an emotionless face framed by sideburns disappear from the massive screen that covered the wall in front of me.

Words were exchanged through a radio and almost instantly a bell rang followed by the terrifying sound of more boots on metal growing closer. My senses had begun to return to me and I could see a circle of armed men standing in front of me, rifles aimed at my head. I had only two choices left now. Fight or Die.

I chose to fight back.


	9. Survive

I've been told that in dire circumstances, human survival instinct takes over. A common example of this is a mother whose infant child is trapped under a car. Suddenly, the mother has the strength to lift this car and save her child's life. When your body is already a chemistry experiment gone wrong, the added adrenaline can produce effects that make the term "superhuman" seem like an incredible understatement.

It felt like the world slowed down as I heard the triggers click back and the burst of bullets began flying towards me. The force field went up around me, deflecting each bullet as perfectly as I expected. The gunfire stopped quickly, but not quick enough to stop the ricocheting bullets from flying back at the guards. I stood up and watched through the purple field as the guards scrambled away from me. Trails of blood followed few of them as they dove for cover behind the whirring machines that filled the room.

I turned around and took in the room around me. A domed ceiling sat atop the room which seemed impossibly tall. The sheer scale of the room was reminiscent of a European cathedral, but the modern technology that covered every surface instantly put that thought to rest. The screen that faced me when I came in rose up to the roof, with clunky computers and gauges resting at the base of it. More blinking lights and various mechanical devices lined the walls in the rest of the room, covering the entire circumference. In the centre of the room was a large cylinder that extended about halfway towards the ceiling. Large tubes protruded from the cylinder which seemed to be slowly leaking steam. Blue lines of light pulsed from in between panels of steel and the whole thing emitted a loud humming sound. There were more consoles at the base of the large machine, adding to the loud electronic soundscape that encompassed the room.

Another gunshot rang out which the force field blocked as expected. I looked in the direction of the sound to see a guard duck back behind a tall, beeping machine. Through the haze of purple, I saw what looked like a snake writhing on the floor, sparking and flopping around like a dying fish. I cautiously lowered the force field before I called out into the room of hidden guards and mysterious technology.

"Elsa!" I shouted, my voice hoarse and almost unrecognizable even to myself. I looked desperately around the room, listening close for any sign of recognition. A cough was clear over the sound of the machinery and it took less than a second to find the source. Elsa's head was visible, on top of the cylindrical centerpiece of the room. Her eyes were closed and her blonde hair which was usually kept tight, had loose strands splayed every which way. Her face was soaked with sweat and her pallor was a sickeningly green colour. I ran towards the monolith, hoping to climb up to Elsa using the tubes and cables that connected it to the outside walls. Standing at the base of it, I heard another gunshot followed by the sound of lead on steel as it ricocheted off of the force field that had unconsciously returned around me. I took a look back, before turning invisible and running around the massive container to climb up the other side. The quick movement left me slightly light headed but I soldiered on. The pain had initially numbed after the adrenaline fueled use of my powers, but it was slowly returning in waves. My arms started to feel heavy and sore and my back began to ache again.

_But you can do this_ I thought to myself as I began to climb over the noisy console that lead to Elsa.

The tubes were placed conveniently which allowed me to make my way up quite quickly, despite protest from my sore limbs. I came up to the right of Elsa and rested on my elbows on the plateau where her head was centered, my legs dangling over the edge of the cylinder.

"Are you okay Elsa?" I asked, the sterile smell of hospitals filling my nostrils. A small groan was the reply I received from the blonde before the machines around us started whirring loudly. Almost instantly, the device holding Elsa captive shook violently. I was quickly cast off and fell down to the web of cables and cords below. I reached out and grabbed one of the tubes as I fell, halting my downward trajectory but wrenching my arm in the process. I reached back towards the vibrating machine, grabbing onto a cord attached to the apparatus. The cord came out of the machine and immediately the tube I was holding onto came free of the cylinder. Steam poured everywhere and an alarm bell system added to the cacophony that engulfed the room. I dropped to the floor, the expelled vapour rolling over me and covering the floor in a cool, dense fog. I looked up to see more tubes being jettisoned from the machine, steam pouring down towards the floor. A horrible grinding sound pierced the air and the steel plates flew outwards from Elsa's containment. The machine came apart right before my eyes, falling to the floor in a discord of clanking metal and hissing steam.

When I stood up to observe the wreckage, I could see Elsa kneeling down in the midst of broken machinery. The lights in the room had changed from stark fluorescence to oscillating red lights that were hooked to the alarm system. Elsa stood up shakily, revealing the sleek black body suit that clung tight to her figure. Her eyes opened, and she looked down at herself. She raised her arms ahead of her and I finally understood the extent of her imprisonment.

Needles protruded from her arms and shoulder blades, wires extending down into the mist that rolled along the ground. They must have been experimenting on her or trying to control her powers with the obscene amount of needles hooked onto her body.

She looked along the length of her arms, before clenching her fists and closing her eyes. Without warning, every single needle and wire attached to her body flew outwards and froze in midair. Ice coated the needles and traced the length of the wires into the floor. Surrounded by the icy tentacles that she had just ejected from her body, she slumped back to the ground. I limped over to her, every single nerve in my body screaming at me to stop. I pushed through the stalks of ice-covered wires that cracked and fell to the floor when touched. I knelt by her and gently put my hand on her back.

"Elsa, we need to get out of here" I whispered to her, knowing it wouldn't be long before gunfire erupted around us.

"I...I can't" she replied weakly.

"I know it's not easy, but if we don't move we're dead." I pleaded with her, anxious to escape.

"Then leave!" She whispered, strength beginning to return to her voice. "I should be dead anyways."

"Stop talking like that," I said as I resolved to grab her from under the shoulder and hoist her up. "You and I have a long way to go." I placed a force field around us as I started to pull her along with me.

Gunfire erupted on cue, bouncing off the shield once again as we slowly made our way along the misty floor towards the entrance. I could feel Elsa's reluctant legs starting to support themselves as she stood straighter. She stopped to look around us as the guards stood from their cover and approached us, guns raised. She slowly lifted her leg and then aggressively stepped down onto the metal floor. Blue fractals spiralled from her feet, coating the floor in a thin layer of slippery ice. Around us, the mist covered the ice that extended past us and under the feet of the surrounding guards. Elsa walked backwards, pushing me towards the door. One guard tried to follow us slowly, resulting in an embarrassing show of flailing limbs and fancy footwork as he unsuccessfully tried to gain his balance before disappearing into the mist. The remaining guards looked around at each other in surprise and their new, uncertain positions took a visible amount of confidence from them.

When we arrived at the room's entrance, Elsa stepped ahead of me and placed her hands on the door. Frost spread from her fingertips and into the crevice where the two sliding doors met. With a loud _crunch_ the doors were forced open violently by horizontal pillars of ice. We walked through the doorway, which Elsa made sure to shut behind us immediately.

We looked down the hall for our escape route and found it in the form of the old rustic elevator descending to our floor. I sprinted towards the door, surprised by the sudden burst of adrenaline, with Elsa following not far behind. Without warning, the elevator stopped moving when the waists of the guards were just visible through the rusted grate. Elsa had stopped following and I looked back to see her stretching her arms in the direction of the elevator, straining to keep it frozen in place. Slowly, a wall of ice began to cover what we could see of the guards. Some had begun kneeling down to get a good look at us and a few gun barrels were visible.

Then the elevator dropped. The sound of screeching metal filled the hall for a split second before fading into silence. I saw a brief glimpse of the emotionless masks before the guards plummeted to their inevitable death.

Stunned, I turned Elsa who looked just as shocked as I was. Her mouth hung open and her arms were still stretched towards the empty elevator shaft. Before I could say anything, panels from the wall began to fold out and large guns appeared, ready to fire. I grabbed the hand that Elsa was staring at in disbelief and ran towards the elevator grate. Elsa's face was emotionless as she used her door opening technique on the old entryway. The bars shattered under the sudden pressure and fell down into the elevator shaft. Elsa jumped backwards in surprise at the force she had just used and found herself contained in my force field. No sooner was the shield up than the guns had begun firing at us. Unfortunately the ammo being dispensed was not anything like the bullets I had fended off earlier. Instead a black substance stuck to the shield and began to grow, encompassing most of its surface. Shocked, I tried to think of a way to escape the predicament when the force field began to roll away from the hallway. I looked over at Elsa who was walking the sphere precariously over the edge of the elevator shaft.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I shouted at her before we both began plummeting through the darkness.


End file.
